Pipeline burst worsens Mumbai's water crisis

Parts of Mumbai are facing a severe water crisis following the bursting of a pipeline in Thane and Mulund.

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Mumbai

March 26, 2010

UPDATED: March 26, 2010 16:54 IST

Parts of Mumbai are facing a severe water crisis following the bursting of a pipeline in Thane and Mulund.

Municipal authorities are racing against time to fix the pipelines but that may take up to two days.

A major pipeline that brings water from the Tansa reservoir on the outskirts of the city burst on Thursday afternoon at Kapurbawdi in Thane and then again at Mulund. The pipeline is 80 years old.

Approximately three million litres of water gushed out following the burst, leading to dry taps in several pockets of the city. This resulted in a 30 per cent cut in supply for the entire city.

"Supplies had dropped a long time ago, but now the taps are completely dry. We have stocked water in utensils and are rationing the use," said Geeta Prakash Surve, a resident.

Residents have no hope of getting water from municipality tankers as all the filling points are closed.

At a press conference, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities blamed the pipeline bursts on corrosion, saying that the Tansa pipeline brought water to the city from a distance of 120 km.

The BMC said that all main pipelines would be replaced within two years to avoid a repeat of the problem. It said extra water would be pulled from the Tansa reservoir to ensure that residents of Bhandup do not suffer during the ongoing crisis.

The BMC also assured that there was enough water in the reservoir to take care of supplies till July 15.

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